Abstract
ObjectiveTo investigate the associations of maternal social networks and perceptions of trust with the prevalence of suspected autism spectrum disorders in 18-month-old offspring in Japan.MethodsQuestionnaires included measurements of maternal social networks (number of relatives or friends they could call upon for assistance), maternal perceptions of trust, mutual assistance (i.e. individual measures of “cognitive social capital”), and social participation (i.e. individual measures of “structural social capital”) as well as the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers to detect suspected autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These tools were mailed to all families with 18-month-old toddlers in Chiba, a city near Tokyo (N = 6061; response rate: 64%). The association between social capital or social network indicators and suspected ASD were analyzed, adjusted for covariates by logistic regression analysis.ResultsLow maternal social trust was found to be significantly positively associated with suspected ASD in toddlers compared with high maternal social trust (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.82, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.38 to 2.40); mutual aid was also significantly positively related (low vs. high: OR, 1.82, 95% CI: 1.38 to 2.40). However, maternal community participation showed U-shape association with suspected ASD of offspring. Maternal social network showed consistent inverse associations with suspected ASD of offspring, regardless of the type of social connection (e.g., relatives, neighbors, or friends living outside of their neighborhood).ConclusionsMothers' cognitive social capital and social networks, but not structural social capital, might be associated with suspected ASD in offspring.
Highlights
Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a developmental disorder typified by impaired communication and social skills [1]
The California Autism Twins Study showed that the rates of ASD among identical twins were 77% for male and 50% for female, and for fraternal twins, 31% for male and 36% for female [3], suggesting that environmental factors may contribute to the development of ASD
As for household characteristics, 8.9% were living with grandparents or relatives, 53.9% had only one child, and annual income was distributed as follows: #4 million yen, 23.4%; 4.1–6 million yen, 32.8%; 6.1–8 million yen, 18.4%; $8.1 million yen, 14.0%; and missing, 11.4%
Summary
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a developmental disorder typified by impaired communication and social skills [1]. The California Autism Twins Study showed that the rates of ASD among identical twins were 77% for male and 50% for female, and for fraternal twins, 31% for male and 36% for female [3], suggesting that environmental factors may contribute to the development of ASD. Several studies investigated the association between environmental factors and ASD, including toxin exposure [4–8], zinc deficiency [9–12], or infection during pregnancy [13,14]. Few studies have investigated the association between social environment and ASD, or even autistic traits such as suspected ASD. Impairment of social behavior is one of the characteristics of ASD, it seems plausible that characteristics of the social environment – such as the social networks surrounding the parent or the quality of social connections in the broader environment, referred to as ‘‘social capital’’ – might contribute to the development of ASD in the offspring. Few studies have investigated the association between social networks/social capital and autistic traits
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